The Atlanta Braves are pledging not to sell. Does that mean that marquee additions could still be on the way?
On the whole, the Braves' season has been a major disappointment to this point, as their 32-39 record indicates. But on Wednesday, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said definitively that he had no intentions of trading veteran talent away.
The Braves have some work to do in the standings, but Anthopoulos' resolve seems to indicate that there could still be big names coming through the Truist Park clubhouse. And left field is one position in dire need of an upgrade.
Could Major League Baseball's most recent blockbuster provide the Braves a roadmap?
On Wednesday, Chase Irle of Sports Talk ATL suggested Boston Red Sox All-Star outfielder Jarren Duran as a hypothetical Braves trade target. The Red Sox traded superstar designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday with 8 1/2 years left on his contract.
"Does anybody really know what the Red Sox are doing right now after essentially salary dumping Rafael Devers to the Giants over the weekend?" Irle wrote.
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"There have been murmurs about them fielding offers on Jarren Duran, who is a true five-tool talent that posted 8.7 WAR last season and is under contract for two more years after this season. He’d be the perfect fix to the Braves outfield woes long-term, and it’s hard to imagine the Red Sox dealing him, but they seem to be in the business of trading away their talent for prospects."
Duran, 28, has a .261/.316/.417 slash line so far this season, with a major-league-leading eight triples. He played better defense and provided more baserunning value in 2024 than he has this year, but his 1.5 bWAR figure in 74 games is still useful production.
The speedster is only making $3.5 million this season and is under club control through 2028, which makes him a very valuable trade asset.
The Devers trade might lessen the odds of the Red Sox parting ways with Duran, because opening the DH slot clears up a bit of the outfield logjam that includes number-one prospect Roman Anthony.
Still, any Red Sox player outside of ace Garrett Crochet could be on the move at this point and we wouldn't be all that surprised.
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